Waiting for Superman

In the craziness of late October, I found a few hours to take in the film Waiting for Superman.  The movie was thought-provoking, insightful, and frightening.  Painting a picture of education in America, Waiting for Superman unapologetically addresses several important issues with a no-holds barred approach.

The most frightening statistic to me was the lack of regulation of teachers.  In most situations, once a teacher is licensed (immediately after graduation), they are rarely given a thorough review again.  After two years of service, many districts award tenure to teachers -- regardless of skills or performance, making it more difficult to relieve under-performing teachers of their duties.   Consider the implications in other professions.  Lawyers and doctors who are found to be doing their jobs poorly are stripped of their authority to continue to practice.  Is the education of America's youth a less important pursuit?  Teacher evaluation must be standardized across the board.

When we become aware of the state of American education, it is easy to feel helpless and overwhelmed.  What can we possible do to change the situation?  Most powerfully, we can be informed and involved.  We as members of the voting public are the only voice of our nation's children.  In nearly every election cycle, new legislation is brought before us that will impact education.  To insure that students receive the best we have to offer, we must educate ourselves about the options, research the implications, and make our voices heard.

Our involvement must go beyond the voting booth.  Studies suggest that the best performing schools have a high level of community involvement.  Teachers and administrators cannot solve the problems we face in our education system;  if it was that simple, it would have been taken care of long ago.  However, when educators partner with interested individuals in their community, great change can take place.  What can you do?  Most adults (regardless of their educational background) can provide valuable assistance in some aspect of our education system.  The mere fact that an adult believes in a child's ability is often all that is needed to move a student from "high-risk" to "highly successful."

So what's your choice?  Will you continue to point out the problems with American education while refusing to get your hands dirty?  Or will you become actively involved in the process in some small way, becoming part of the solution to the students in your community?  Together we CAN make a difference!